These are troubled times, but I guess monarchists have something to say and something to offer as a possible solution for many problems that shake the world. That's why I call myself "radical royalist" because I am unashamedly in favour of a monarchy - anywhere!
Omnis regis fautor sum: Regalis nihil mihi alienum est

Monday, 31 March 2014

There has been much consternation and even mirth in the media over the decision of the Federal Government to restore Knights and Dames to the Order of Australia.

The deliberate inference in the media that these are “Imperial awards” ignoring the fact these awards are for Australians and decided by Australians is crass and inexcusable.

But at its heart perhaps the commentators and media are saying no modern Australian is capable of matching the achievements in the arts, jurisprudence, science, exploration, sports etc as some great and exceptional Australians of the past.

Perhaps they are saying that current or future Australians cannot be as talented as:

Sir Mick JaggerSir Paul McCartneyDame Judy Dench Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

At its heart the opposition to knighthoods is part of the myth of egalitarianism that runs through Australian culture. A myth that like all myths has an element of truth but in reality is ultimately just a myth. Australia is and has always been a classless society in name only.

Opposition to knighthoods is part of the longstanding republicanism within the Labor Party, born out of Irish nationalism of a century ago as much as any innate Australian republicanism.

When Tony Abbott re-established Knights and Dames in the Order of Australia, outgoing Governor-General Quentin Bryce was the first to accept the new title. Dame Quentin Bryce, self-confessed advocate of "a" republic, received another honour due to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. She had written to the Queen of Australia to correct the anomaly that government ministers and judges automatically received the title The Honourable for life, but governors-general did not. Her Majesty agreed to her Australian Prime Minister's suggestion and has now corrected it.

The retired Governor-General's will further on be addressed as The Honourable Dame Quentin - for life.

Saturday, 29 March 2014

Martin Flanagan, Sports Writer for The Age, did not like Tony Abbott's enabling the creation of new Knights (AK) and Dames (AD) to the statutes of the Order of Australia. In a comment published today he calls it "a vain and empty honours system from another time and place".

But what's all the fuss about something that is so vain and empty? Why does Mr Flanagan get so upset about something he cares so little? "Respect does not come with titles – respect is earned", he writes. Right, but wasn't the Order of Australia created to show respect for achievements? Isn't the Order of Australia there to give credit to those who earn it?

If Mr Flanagan could answer 'yes' to these questions, what could be wrong in allowing men and women to add three or four letters in front of their first name as a "special recognition ... to Australians of 'extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit' in their service to Australia or to humanity at large" (Tony Abbott)?

It seems that Mr Flanagan and his fellow republicans are less intent to withhold honours from recipients, but they object any honours that are obviously connected with the crown. They certainly dislike the first sentence of Tony Abbott's announcement: "Her Majesty the Queen has amended the Letters Patent constituting the Order of Australia". They should refuse any medal of the Order of Australia since the Australian system of honours and awards was established by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and The Queen is the Sovereign Head of the Order of Australia.

Isn't it time that all these Irish who loath the Australian Monarchy finally wake up to reality?

The ARM's membership numbers must have been pretty low that such a simple move can revive their numbers. The same Fairfax article stated the hard fact:

"A ReachTEL poll of more than 2000 Australians, conducted for Fairfax Media in February, found only 39.4 per cent of the population supports a republic - the lowest level in 20 years. The poll found only 35.6 per cent of 18- to 35-year-olds support the republic."

And when it comes to "dead, buried and cremated" as Michael Shmith called the imperial honours system in today's Age, because an ALP-government abolished it in 1982, the term is also a reminder that the veteran republican Michael Shmithwas revived from retirement to write on his favourite topic: abolishing the Constitutional Monarchy in Australia. He and his fellow republicans deliberately ignore the fact that the new knighthoods aren't imperial honours, but Knights and Dames of the Order of Australia.

However, the final sentence of Mr. Shmith's disapproving article is true:

"But how interesting, how intriguing, it would have been if Dame Quentin, who has made her republican sentiments more than obvious, had simply said: 'Thanks, but no thanks.'"

But the out-going Governour-General's family has already found comfort at the idea of the Damehood, greeting the homecoming Mrs. Bryce with "Dame Dee Dee, we love you, welcome home". Her son-in-law William Shorten, the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, smiled at the scene, which The Age published without further republicanism that could spoil the picture.

He is the eldest son and heir to Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança, the rightful King of Portugal. As the first child of the Duke and Duchess Isabel de Herédia, Prince Afonso de Santa Maria is first in the Line of succession to the Portuguese throne, behind his father.

The Portuguese Royal Family attended the papal mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 13th May 2010 in Lisbon. Dom Afonso de Santa Maria is seated in the centre.

Numerous photos of a thanks giving mass in the church Nossa Senhora da Encarnação em Lisboa can be seen here.

Friday, 14 March 2014

Coronation in Esztergom, Hungary, on 30th December 1916. The boy in the centre is Archduke Otto (+4th July 2011)

Empress Zita of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Queen of Bohemia (*9th May 1892) died 25 years ago today.

She married the then Archduke Charles of Austria in 1911. Charles became heir presumptive to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1914 after the assassination of his uncle Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este, and acceded to the throne in 1916 after the old emperor’s death.

After the end of World War I in 1918, the Imperial Family was forced to go into exile. After two attempts to regain the Hungarian Crown the Allies decided to send Emperor Charles, Empress Zita and their seven children to Madeira. Due to poor living conditions Emperor Charles on 1st April 1922 at the age of 35. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 3rd October 2004.

After her husband’s death, Empress Zita and her son, Archduke Otto, served as the symbols of unity for the exiled dynasty. A devout Catholic, she raised a large family after being widowed at the age of 29. She never remarried and wore black dress for the remaining 67 years of her life.

Her last big family gathering took place at Zizers, Switzerland, in 1987, when her children and grandchildren joined in celebrating Empress Zita’s 95th birthday. While visiting her daughter, in summer 1988, she developed pneumonia and spent most of the autumn and winter bedridden. Finally, she called Archduke Otto, in early March 1989, and told him she was dying. He and the rest of the family travelled to her bedside and took turns keeping her company until she died in the early hours of 14th March 1989. She was 96 years old.

Empress Zita accompanied by King Umberto II of Italy (right) and King Simeon II of the Bulgarians (left), behind her the Count and the Countess of Barcelona.

On 10th December 2009, Mgr Yves Le Saux, Bishop of Le Mans, France, opened the diocesan process for the beatification of Zita. The reason for this is because from 1899 to 1989 Solesmes (in the Diocese of Le Mans) was the spiritual centre for the Empress: three of her sisters were Benedictines at Sainte-Cecile Abbey where the Empress frequently stayed, remaining in contact there until the end of her life. Moreover, the Empress was an oblate of Saint-Pierre Abbey in Solesmes.

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Last Monday was a public holiday in Victoria: Labour Day. The holiday commemorates the granting of the eight-hour working day for Victorians and is the equivalent to 1st May elsewhere. It also recognises workers’ contributions towards the nation’s economy. But this 10th March 2014 also happened to be Commonwealth Day, celebrated in the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth. Both events are traditionally celebrated every year on the second Monday of the month of March.

Reading Melbourne's leading newspaper The Age (no longer a broad sheet paper since the change to the tabloid format) gave no hint of the local and international importance of this day. This newspaper ignored the workers as well as it ignored the Commonwealth and the Queen.

The print edition on Tuesday contained nothing on Labour Day celebrations or the Commonwealth Day commemorations, but there was "Moomba birthday brings sparkle". The Moomba festival was first organised in 1955 in honour of Queen Elizabeth, Queen of Australia, and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh who visited Melbourne the year before. In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II visited the city in her first appearance as reigning monarch and the City Development Association and the Melbourne City Council proposed an autumn carnival to be known as "Moomba". A committee was formed in July, 1954 to organise and fund the event, successfully allocating £10,000 to its inaugural running. As a reminiscence to the royal couple every year a new Moomba King and Queen are crowned, this year it was TV veteran Bert Newton and Lucy Durack.

Her Majesty The Queen and Their Royal Highnesses The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Earl and The Countess of Wessex marked Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey.

International campaigner, Malala Yousafzai gave a powerful address to assembled guests, reminding them that “in many parts of the world – including within the Commonwealth – access to education is denied to children and girls are the most affected…We need to…invest more on education to build up a bright future and protect children suffering from terrorism, child labour, child trafficking and gender abuse such as female genital mutilation…“The future success of the Commonwealth – like the future success of any team – depends on the next generation. Today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders – tomorrow’s politicians, tomorrow’s businesspeople, tomorrow’s doctors and tomorrow’s teachers…"

In her Commonwealth Day Message, HM The Queen said:

In July this year, the opening of the 20th Commonwealth Games will be marked by the arrival in Glasgow of the baton that started its journey from Buckingham Palace five months ago.

Many of us are following closely the news of the baton relay as it passes through the 70 countries and territories whose teams will gather for the Games. The images bring vividly to life what we mean by the Commonwealth family: it is wonderful to see the warmth, shared endeavour and goodwill as the baton is passed through the hands of many thousands of people.

Affinities of history and inheritance from the past are strong, yet we are bound together by a sense that the Commonwealth is a powerful influence of good for the future. People of all ages from different cultures are weaving an ever-growing network of links which connect us in our diversity and our common purpose. It is this unity that is expressed in this year's theme: 'Team Commonwealth'.

While national teams will be concentrating on the competition in August, Team Commonwealth will have a longer focus, working together to achieve a more enduring success.

Experiences of life differ widely throughout the Commonwealth, and we each make contributions from sometimes very different viewpoints. But we are committed to the same goals. Together we offer each other encouragement and draw strength from this mutual support.

The understanding that we belong together, and are able, through teamwork, to achieve far more than we could do alone, has always been at the heart of our approach. For all of us this is now captured in the Commonwealth Charter which sets out the values and principles which guide and motivate us.

This year, more children and young people are participating in Commonwealth Day celebrations. Advances in technology enable us to reach a greater number of young people in schools, on-line using the 'Commonwealth Class' initiative, and through events in local communities where the Commonwealth flag is being raised.

I am delighted that in this, the year of 'Team Commonwealth', we will be working to build a brighter, united future in which every one of us can play a part and share in its rewards.

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

The Times published the following correspondent report from Athens in its issue of 12th March 1964:

Tomb of King Pavlos and Queen Frederika of the Hellenes (+6th February 1981)

King Paul of the Hellenes was laid to rest among his ancestors at the Tatoi royal estate today in the presence of his family and a number of 'Europe's reigning monarchs. King Paul himself had marked the place where he had wished to be buried under the pine trees near the tomb of his brother and predecessor, King George II.

Huge crows fare welled their King.

Almost every inhabitant of Athens and many more from country districts lined the two-mile procession route from the Metropolis Church. As the crowds grew weary of the hours of waiting there was some disorder. Many women fainted. Swaying masses forced a police cordon to yield half of the wide boulevard on which the procession was moving. Unfortunately the din and clamour did not die out even when the solemn cortege went by.

King Constantine II kissing the coffin.

Gun salutes boomed across the city as the funeral procession set off after the service at the Metropolis Church where the King's body lay in state for two days. The service was conducted by Archbishop Chrysostomos, the octogenarian Primate of the Orthodox Church of Greece. Before the eight white-kilted Evzones of the Royal Guard moved the black draped coffin from the catafalque on to a gun carriage outside. Queen Frederika knelt and kissed the side of the coffin. She had to be helped to rise, temporarily overcome by emotion. After her King Constantine, the King's son and successor, and his sister Crown Princess Irene kissed the coffin.

The dead king was flanked by a company of Evzones in pairs on both sides.

A company of sailors from the Greek Royal Navy drew the gun carriage bearing the King's body. They were flanked by a company of Evzones in pairs on both sides.

Behind the coffin came the King's personal servants and his white horse.

Behind the coffin came the King's personal servants and his white horse. The King's widow and her son, the new King, followed in the cortège. Behind them walked the Crown Princess, Princes Peter and Michael and Princess Sophia of Spain, nee Princess of Greece and Denmark and her husband, Don Juan Carlos of Spain.

King Constantine II of the Hellenes, his mother, Queen Frederika, behind them Princess Sofía of Spain and Prince Peter, second in line to the Greek throne in 1964.

right to left, German president Lübke, the Duke of Edinburgh, Mr. Lyndon Johnson, Prince Rainier III of Monaco,

The heads of foreign states or their personal representatives followed. They included the Kings of Sweden, Denmark. Norway. and Belgium, and Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus. and President Lübke of West Germany, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Prince of Monaco, Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, and the brother of the Shah of Iran. The former President Truman, who is 80, followed in a car, as did Mr. Papandreou, the Greek Prime Minister. It was an impressive procession, though the solemnity and poignancy of the occasion were marred by a mass turn-out such as Athens has never seen before.

The procession ended before the Hilton Hotel and the gun carriage with the coffin was linked to an army vehicle which took it to Tatoi eight miles north of Athens, followed by the cars of the heads of state or personal representatives, who attended the private interment later.

Sunday, 9 March 2014

In the centre: H.M. King Constantine II of the Hellenes and his wife, H.M. Queen Anna-Maria of the Hellenes. On the extreme right, H.R.H. Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark and next to her, H.M. Queen Sofía of Spain.

Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine attended the two day commemoration for the 50 years of the passing of His Majesty King Paul I of the Hellenes and published the following short report on the website of The Royal Family of Serbia.

A documentary “Pavlos No Ordinary King” about the life of His Majesty King Paul of the Hellenes was shown last night at the Gennadius Library, Kolonaki in Athens. HM Queen Sophia of Spain hosted a dinner for relatives after the documentary.

This morning a memorial service took place at the graveside located at Tatoi for His Majesty King Paul.

The Greek Royal Family was represented by Their Majesties King Constantine and Queen Anne Marie, Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Prince and Crown Princess Marie Chantal and their children and Her Royal Highness Princess Irene. Also present were Her Majesty Queen Sophia of Spain, Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, as well as His Majesty King Simeon of the Bulgarians.

King Paul was born in Athens 14 December 1901 and was the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. King Paul married Princess Frederica of Hanover. King Paul’s brother was His Majesty King Alexander of the Hellenes grandfather of Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia. King Paul died in Athens 6 March 1964.

His Majesty King Alexander of the Hellenes and Her Royal Highness Princess Aspasia (grandparents of Crown Prince Alexander) are buried in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi. Her Majesty Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia was buried in the cemetery and was transferred last year to the Royal Family Crypt in the Mausoleum at Oplenac, Serbia.

HRH Crown Prince Alexander II lays wreath on the tomb of HM King Paul of
the Hellenes, commemorating the 50 years of his passing, Tatoi
cemetery, Athens, March 6, 2014.

Thursday, 6 March 2014

Athens hasn't seen such a big royal event in decades. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of King Paul's death his children, King Constantine II of the Hellenes, Queen Anna-Maria, Queen Sofía of Spain and Princess Irene, and many other family members gathered in the Greek capital to hold a memorial service for their parents . Yesterday a new documentary on the life of King Paul I had a world premiere. The film perfomance was attended not only by Greek royals, but also by many members of other royal families, among them Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, Margrave Max and Margrevine Valery of Baden.

Today 50 years ago King Paul I of the Hellenes passed away. In late February 1964, he had undergone an operation for stomach cancer, and a couple of days afterwards in Athens he passed away. On 19th February 1964 his eldest son, Crown Prince Constantine, had been appointed as Regent.

The royal decree that appointed 23-year-old Crown Prince Constantine as Regent, was drafted by the Government and sent to the King for signature. King Paul signed it, and it was promulgated in the official gazette. Before he was admitted to the hospital, King Paul had sworn in the new cabinet of Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou, which was formed after the recent elections. Due to the king's fragile health the ceremony had taken place at the royal residence of Tatoi and not at the Royal Palace in Athens. On 6th March 1964 the death of King Paul I was announced. He was succeeded by his only son, King Constantine II of the Hellenes.King Paul (Greek: Παῦλος, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Pávlos, Vasiléfs ton Ellínon; 14th December 1901 – 6th March 1964) was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of the Hellenes and his wife, Queen Sophia, née Princess of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer and joined the British Royal Navy as a cadet at the Naval Academy in Dartmouth, later in Osborne. During World War I he accompanied his parents into exile, which they spent in Switzerland and Germany, while his elder brother ruled as King Alexander I. After his brother's premature death, the Greek parliament had proclaimed Prince Paul to be his successor, but he refused and insisted on his father's return on the throne. On 19th December 1920 the royal family returned and Prince Paul joined the Greek Royal Naval Academy in Piraeus to complete his formation. In 1922 he graduated and was promoted to sub lieutenant.

After the Greek troops were defeated by Turkey, King Constantine I was picked as scapegoat and forced into exile again. He left his beloved Greece on 22nd September 1922 and was succeeded by his eldest son, King George II. This made Prince Paul the new Crown Prince of Greece. King Constantine I died in Italy on 23 January 1923, but the government refused to grant the dead monarch a state funeral at home. The second republic was proclaimed on 25th March 1924 and the Royal Family was forced to leave the country of their birth and were stripped of their nationality and their property.

Short of money, Crown Prince Paul first went to Romania, where his sister had married Crown Prince Carol, then to the UK and found a job in the new aeroplane industry. At the British company Armstrong Siddeley in Coventry he became a mechanic apprentice under the name of "Paul Beck" and assembled planes.

Instablility in the Greek republic
Between 1924, when the republic was proclaimed and 1935, when it was finally abolished again Greece was shaken by instability and financial ruin. In little less than ten years, the country had 23 governments, one dictatorship and 13 coups d'État. In the end, the Monarchy was universally seen as the solution. On 10th October 1935 a military putsch deposed the prime minister and the president and the national assembly proclaimed the re-instalment of the Monarchy under the regency of Georgios Kondýlis. King George II insisted on a popular vote and Kondýlis organised a referendum on 3rd November 1935. On 5th November King George agreed to return to Greece. King and Crown Prince arrived in Athens on 25th November.

Wedding of Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Frederika of Hanover.

To secure the dynasty's future Crown Prince Paul married the Princess Frederika of Hanover. He first met his bride in 1927, when she was only ten years old. They met again in 1934 when both attended the wedding of Greek Princess Marina and the Duke of Kent. The young couple married on 9th January 1938. The first child was born on 2nd November 1938: Princess Sophia, today Queen Sofía of Spain, followed on 2nd June 1940 by Prince Constantine, today King Constantine II of the Hellenes, and 11th May 1942 Princess Irene. The latter princess was born in South Africa, where Crown Princess Frederika had found refuge. Between the two births was the Italian attack on Greece and after the Greek troops had defeated the invader, the Germans came to the aid of their allies and occupied the Kingdom of Greece in 1941.

While King George II, Crown Prince Paul and the royal government went to Britain to continue the fight against the invaders, Crown Princess Frederika and her children were invited by South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts to come to his country. They stayed there until March 1944 and then left South African for Egypt. After the German troops were defeated another referendum was held on the Monarchy. On 1st September 1946 69 % of the Greeks said yes to the return of their royal family. On 27th September King George II came back to Greece for a third time only to die suddenly on 1st April 1947.

The reign of King Paul I
The new King and Queen faced a country that was torn apart by civil war. In 1947 they was unable to attend the wedding of his first cousin, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh to Princess Elizabeth as King Paul was suffering from typhoid fever.

By 1949 the Civil War was effectively over, with the Communist insurgents ceasing the majority of their operations, and the task of rebuilding the shattered north of the country began. Between 1948 and 1952 Greece received 376 millions US $ US aid from the Marshall Plan. The country began to stabilise under King Paul in eleven years the country had only two prime ministers, one of them was Konstantin Karamanlis who after 1974 played such an unfortunate role. But in the 50s the agricultural and mining sectors boomed and the tourism industry flourished. Greece recovered not only economically, but diplomatic and trade links were strengthened as well by the royal couple's state visits abroad. King Paul became the first Greek Monarch to visit Istanbul and Ankara in June 1952. However, links with Britain became strained over Cyprus, where the majority Greek population favoured union with Greece, which Britain, as the colonial power, would not endorse. Eventually, Cyprus became an independent state in 1960.

The monarch's health deteriorated at the end of the 50s. He died during surgery on 6th March 1964 and was buried in a state funeral on 11th March 1964.

Funeral of King Paul on 11th March 1964. At the centre his widow, Queen Frederika, to her right the new king: Constantine II, next to him, Princess Sofía of Spain. From right to left: Prince Juan Carlos, Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark.